Atlanta native in his first season as starting strong safety is fitting in well.

When asked how he got from Atlanta to Lehigh, Rickie Hill said a plane made a big difference.

"A lot of people ask me about it," Hill said. "Actually, Lehigh was my last choice. But I had never been on a plane before and they gave me a plane ticket to come up here. I came and I enjoyed it. I needed to see it because not too many people back home know about Lehigh."

If the Mountain Hawks are going to take flight and gain notoriety in Atlanta and around the rest of the FCS this season, Hill will play a pivotal role.

The junior strong safety is off to a good start with nine tackles, an interception and two pass breakups in Lehigh's 2-0 start.

Hill and the rest of the defense are expected to receive a challenge from Princeton on Saturday at Goodman Stadium because the Tigers play at what Lehigh coach Andy Coen described as "an Oregon-type tempo."

Adding to the difficulty is that this is Princeton's season opener and Lehigh is not sure who will play quarterback for the Tigers and what style he will play.

Hill said Lehigh is simply going to have to be aggressive and get after the Tigers and the ball.

"As a team, I think we're looking pretty good," Hill said. "Any team that starts out 2-0 is doing good. Not too many teams around the country can say they're 2-0. But we're not perfect. We've got to get better each week. We've got to execute better and tackle better. We've had some misses here and there. Once we can clean that up, we'll be pretty much where we want to be."

Hill is getting his shot as a starter after not playing at all as a freshman and seeing action in nine games as a sophomore. He has fit in well with more experienced teammates such as corners Bryan Andrews, Gabe Johnson and Courtney Jarvis and free safety Billy O'Brien in the outer layer of the defense.

Coach Andy Coen likes what he has seen so far from Hill, who combines power and speed

"Rickie is a very skilled, athletic and physical guy," Coen said. "He has been a significant contributor on special teams, but now he's really settling in back there. The fact that he's with some older guys has allowed him to just play the game and not worry about making mistakes.

"I've been very happy with how he's played. He has knocked some balls down. He has done some better things in the games on Saturdays than he has done in practice. He's an awesome kid, always smiling and I'm happy he has had success. It's important for us to get good play out of that position and the fact that he's got Billy O'Brien, Bryan Andrews and Gabe Johnson back there … that helps the comfort level."

While Coen can't remember some of the specifics of Hill's recruiting process, he does remember that Hill fell in love with the place.

"It was new to him, a totally different environment than where he came from to say the least, but he's thriving here," Coen said. "He has worked incredibly hard. He's doing well in the classroom."

Hill said he has adapted to what he calls the "water and fire" of co-defensive coordinators Gerard Wilcher and Donnie Roberts.

"They each bring a different element," Hill said. "You have Coach Wilcher, who is the water. He's more cool, more laid-back, but he gets his point across. Then you have Coach Rob, who is intense. He's always ready, always antsy, always trying to get us fired [up]. It's a good balance. They know what we need to play good defense and it's working out well."

A 'SCARY GAME'

At Lehigh's weekly media luncheon Wednesday, Coen expressed concern about Saturday's home game against Princeton and called it "scary."

"I throw the records out; I know they haven't won a lot of games the last couple of years," he said. "But I know the talent level there. This is my 13th or 15th consecutive year of coaching a team against Princeton. Our track record here in facing Princeton in their opener and our third game is 3-3.

"They've played us tough, even in the games we've won. Their defensive front, the front five, is outstanding. They're all returning, and they're all-league type of guys. That's the strength of their defense and I am still not sure where we're at with our offensive line. Our O-L is still growing and we're going to have play very well up front."

Coen acknowledged that it will different seeing Princeton without Nazareth grad Chuck Dibilio.

Dibilio made his Tigers debut against Lehigh last season and gained 86 yards on 14 carries and took a shovel pass 26 yards for his first collegiate touchdown. He is missing this season as he recovers from a stroke.

"Chuck was a big part of what they did last year," Coen said. "We really wish him well and hope he gets back out there to play."